Muscle weighs more.....what?

catherinet89

Ive come across many people saying this on here and all over the internet. To clarify ..... false oh so false.
Thast like saying a 10 pound bowling ball weighs more then 10 pounds of feathers... they weigh the same, one is just more compact then the other.

A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat but muscle is more compact then fat.

So if youve just started working out and you notice you might not be losing weight per say dont give up, youre probably gaining muscle!! Youll still lose the inches even if you dont see the pounds going down... that will happen too dont worry.

As the saying goes, " It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a change, 8 for your family and friends and 12 for the rest of the world."

diannethegeek

Muscle can't be more compact than fat because an inch of muscle takes up the same amount of space as an inch of fat.

Unless we're assuming all other variables are equal. In which case both ways of phrasing it (muscle weighs more or muscle takes up less space) are equally correct (and equally wrong at the same time).

joepage612

I googled "what does 20 pounds of fat look like". It showed me a plastic model.
I googled "what does 20 pounds of muscle look like". It showed me a plastic model.
The plastic fat model was larger.
...

SezxyStef

Ive come across many people saying this on here and all over the internet. To clarify ..... false oh so false.
Thast like saying a 10 pound bowling ball weighs more then 10 pounds of feathers... they weigh the same, one is just more compact then the other.

A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat but muscle is more compact then fat.

So if youve just started working out and you notice you might not be losing weight per say dont give up, youre probably gaining muscle!! Youll still lose the inches even if you dont see the pounds going down... that will happen too dont worry.

As the saying goes, " It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a change, 8 for your family and friends and 12 for the rest of the world."

wow..gaining muscle at a deficit probably not.....maybe if you are obese or new to lifting...note the lifting part because you won't be gaining muscle walking etc...

as for the muscle weighs more than fat thing....most mean 1lb of muscle takes up less space than 1lb of fat....

mymodernbabylon

But an inch of muscle doesn't weigh the same as an inch of fat - but a pound of fat does weigh the same as a pound of muscle...a pound is a pound is a pound. So if you were to look at a pound of fat and a pound of muscle, they would take up very different amounts of space in the human body while still weighing the same.

dbmata

Muscle can't be more compact than fat because an inch of muscle takes up the same amount of space as an inch of fat.

Unless we're assuming all other variables are equal. In which case both ways of phrasing it (muscle weighs more or muscle takes up less space) are equally correct (and equally wrong at the same time).

It's a volume thing. Muscle and fat of the same weight have different volumes. This is why water tank testing for bodyfat analysis works.

catherinet89

Ive come across many people saying this on here and all over the internet. To clarify ..... false oh so false.
Thast like saying a 10 pound bowling ball weighs more then 10 pounds of feathers... they weigh the same, one is just more compact then the other.

A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat but muscle is more compact then fat.

So if youve just started working out and you notice you might not be losing weight per say dont give up, youre probably gaining muscle!! Youll still lose the inches even if you dont see the pounds going down... that will happen too dont worry.

As the saying goes, " It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a change, 8 for your family and friends and 12 for the rest of the world."

I'm not sure I believe what you are saying. If I've just started working out and haven't lost weight then I've probably just gained muscle? I just don't believe it. How can I gain muscle so quickly when I'm not even eating enough food to meet my metabolic needs? It just doesn't make sense.
You don't happen to live in the Parkland subdivision do you?

I worked with a personal trainer for several months and in that time didnt really lose as much weight as when i was purely dieting thats because i gained in muscle. Obviously you need to eat accordingly. I was told to eat 2000 calories atleast when working with my personal trainer.
Results are not instant. What i mean is you spent the last week going hard and you only lost a pound if that... which happened to me alot... but your jeans still get looser.
And no i dont

catherinet89

Ive come across many people saying this on here and all over the internet. To clarify ..... false oh so false.
Thast like saying a 10 pound bowling ball weighs more then 10 pounds of feathers... they weigh the same, one is just more compact then the other.

A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat but muscle is more compact then fat.

So if youve just started working out and you notice you might not be losing weight per say dont give up, youre probably gaining muscle!! Youll still lose the inches even if you dont see the pounds going down... that will happen too dont worry.

As the saying goes, " It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a change, 8 for your family and friends and 12 for the rest of the world."

wow..gaining muscle at a deficit probably not.....maybe if you are obese or new to lifting...note the lifting part because you won't be gaining muscle walking etc...

as for the muscle weighs more than fat thing....most mean 1lb of muscle takes up less space than 1lb of fat....

You shouldnt really be weight training whilst eating a low calorie diet. as mentioned above i was told to eat a min of 2000 calories a day by my personal trainer.
When i read muscle weighs more then fat ... that makes no sense to me. A pound is a pound ... 10 pounds is 10 pounds no matter the size of the object

catherinet89

Muscle can't be more compact than fat because an inch of muscle takes up the same amount of space as an inch of fat.

Unless we're assuming all other variables are equal. In which case both ways of phrasing it (muscle weighs more or muscle takes up less space) are equally correct (and equally wrong at the same time).

It's a volume thing. Muscle and fat of the same weight have different volumes. This is why water tank testing for bodyfat analysis works.

Exactly ... a pound is a pound

diannethegeek

Muscle can't be more compact than fat because an inch of muscle takes up the same amount of space as an inch of fat.

Unless we're assuming all other variables are equal. In which case both ways of phrasing it (muscle weighs more or muscle takes up less space) are equally correct (and equally wrong at the same time).

It's a volume thing. Muscle and fat of the same weight have different volumes. This is why water tank testing for bodyfat analysis works.

Exactly my point. Both phrases - muscle weighs more than fat and muscle takes up less space than fat - are describing the same thing. Both are assuming that the other variable (either volume or weight) remains equal. Thus, a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat and a cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat. Both phrases are equally right, but for some reason people love to pick one apart (muscle weighs more) and provide the other as an accurate alternative (muscle takes up less space).

catherinet89

But an inch of muscle doesn't weigh the same as an inch of fat - but a pound of fat does weigh the same as a pound of muscle...a pound is a pound is a pound. So if you were to look at a pound of fat and a pound of muscle, they would take up very different amounts of space in the human body while still weighing the same.

Precisely

dbmata

When i read muscle weighs more then fat ... that makes no sense to me. A pound is a pound

Correct. However, a lot of people are basically scientifically ignorant, and weights, volumes, mass, etc are "SCIENCE!"

It's an oft repeated statement due to ignorance. What they mean is that volumes of fat or muscle have different weight.

catherinet89

When i read muscle weighs more then fat ... that makes no sense to me. A pound is a pound

Correct. However, a lot of people are basically scientifically ignorant, and weights, volumes, mass, etc are "SCIENCE!"

It's an oft repeated statement due to ignorance. What they mean is that volumes of fat or muscle have different weight.

Its a common misconception and gives some people false expectations when it comes to working out and weight training. Now when i talk working out i mean cardio and weight training the whole shabang not just running ... since you can actually lose muscle while running.

brianpperkins

Muscle can't be more compact than fat because an inch of muscle takes up the same amount of space as an inch of fat.

Unless we're assuming all other variables are equal. In which case both ways of phrasing it (muscle weighs more or muscle takes up less space) are equally correct (and equally wrong at the same time).

It's a volume thing. Muscle and fat of the same weight have different volumes. This is why water tank testing for bodyfat analysis works.

Exactly ... a pound is a pound

A cubic inch is a cubic inch as well. Muscle is more dense than fat ... more weight per unit of volume which requires the inclusion of both characteristics.

danaph3681

You shouldnt really be weight training whilst eating a low calorie diet. as mentioned above i was told to eat a min of 2000 calories a day by my personal trainer.
When i read muscle weighs more then fat ... that makes no sense to me. A pound is a pound ... 10 pounds is 10 pounds no matter the size of the object

???? No weight training while eating a "lower" calorie diet??? What about competitive bodybuilders who are cutting for competition and still hitting the weights just as hard in the gym?

When I was cutting a few months back on lower calories, I still kept my regular schedule of lifting like I always have? Not sure why you think you should not lift during a time like that??

Timshel_

I googled "what does 20 pounds of fat look like". It showed me a plastic model.
I googled "what does 20 pounds of muscle look like". It showed me a plastic model.
The plastic fat model was larger.

Exactly! I love Google for proving people wrong.

ew_david

Thank you. It's been 20 minutes since this was last posted.

SezxyStef

Ive come across many people saying this on here and all over the internet. To clarify ..... false oh so false.
Thast like saying a 10 pound bowling ball weighs more then 10 pounds of feathers... they weigh the same, one is just more compact then the other.

A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat but muscle is more compact then fat.

So if youve just started working out and you notice you might not be losing weight per say dont give up, youre probably gaining muscle!! Youll still lose the inches even if you dont see the pounds going down... that will happen too dont worry.

As the saying goes, " It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a change, 8 for your family and friends and 12 for the rest of the world."

wow..gaining muscle at a deficit probably not.....maybe if you are obese or new to lifting...note the lifting part because you won't be gaining muscle walking etc...

as for the muscle weighs more than fat thing....most mean 1lb of muscle takes up less space than 1lb of fat....

You shouldnt really be weight training whilst eating a low calorie diet. as mentioned above i was told to eat a min of 2000 calories a day by my personal trainer.
When i read muscle weighs more then fat ... that makes no sense to me. A pound is a pound ... 10 pounds is 10 pounds no matter the size of the object

really...interesting I've been doing heavy lifting for almost a year and only hit maitenance of 2100 in June...didn't hinder me at all...it helps preserve your muscle while losing weight...I don't care what a personal trainer said...I know better.

Esp since weight loss is CICO and exercise is for fitness.

SueInAz

The problem isn't the misconception it's the way someone says it. "A pound of muscle takes up less volume than a pound of fat" or "a pound of muscle is more dense than a pound of fat" are good ways to describe it. The problem is that you get a lot of people parroting what they've read on here and they really don't understand it so they state it incorrectly. It's like someone saying "I could care less" when what they really mean to say is "I couldn't care less."

The only thing I would caution is the OP's statement that if the person isn't losing weight they are likely putting on muscle. That's not true very often especially if the person isn't lifting heavy and is eating at a deficit and not eating much protein, either. MFP's default protein percentage is absurdly low so someone new to MFP and the whole concept of macros and nutrition is not likely to be eating enough to gain muscle.

SomberG

I don't think someone on a deficit is going to gain muscle at a faster rate than they lose fat..